Innovative water treatment process to cure ‘forever chemical’
The new threshold value of PFAS allowed in Swedish drinking water will be introduced in 2026. Currently, 20 per cent of Sweden’s population consume water with PFAS levels exceeding the new limit. To tackle the problem, research is underway to advance water treatment technologies.
Hydrogeologist Philipp Wanner at the University of Gothenburg is one of the researchers involved in developing a new and innovative water treatment process. The optimized infiltration process will minimize PFAS and other contaminants into ground- and drinking water. This in turn will help water producers comply by the new PFAS regulations. The research project is led by Professor Lutz Ahrens from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
– The purpose of this research is to ensure the sustainability of Sweden’s municipal drinking water. It is essential for Swedish drinking water safety, says Philipp Wanner, a contaminant hydrogeologist at the Department of Earth Sciences.
Often referred to as “forever chemicals”, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), are a group of extremely persistent synthetic chemicals that have been used in various industries since the 1940s. Many of them don’t degrade at all under natural conditions but persist forever. In addition, some PFAS have been shown to increase the risk of cancer, affect the immune system and interfere with reproduction.
The new PFAS limit for drinking water will be legally enforceable from 1 January 2026 and already now drinking water producers are required to have PFAS monitoring programs for their water. Current treatment techniques for PFAS and other contaminants, for example pesticides, pharmaceuticals, algae toxins, are both costly and inefficient. Besides, these treatment methods produce waste streams containing high levels of contaminants or potentially toxic byproducts, which are often discharged back into the environment.
– By reducing PFAS and other contaminants more affordably and sustainably in drinking water, our research will help protect public health from hazardous contaminants, reduce treatment costs, and ultimately lead to lower drinking water prices, Philipp Wanner says.
He anticipates that the optimized infiltration of surface water into groundwater in Managed aquifer recharge systems (MAR) and innovative treatment trains developed in the project will be widely adopted by Swedish drinking water producers.
The research project SIDWater - Sustainable innovative drinking water treatment solutions is financed by research council Formas. SIDWater is headed by the Department of Aquatic Sciences and Assessment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, in collaboration with University of Gothenburg, Chalmers, Lund university, Uppsala university among others.
